On Twitter, some tweets are serious leaks. Take the case of Live Search.
Rumours about Microsoft’s rebranding of Live Search, the search engine it hopes will one day rival Google, have swirled in technology circles for months.
Last weekend those rumours seemed confirmed, when LiveSide.net published a screenshot from Twitter that appeared to be from an overenthusiastic Microsoft insider: “Played today with Live search upcoming (to be rebranded) launch pre-beta. I like the new features and UX so far.” (Today the rumours were confirmed by the company.)
Leaks in the corporate world are nothing new. And here in Silicon Valley, tracking the latest rumours is something of a sport. But the leak of the Live Search rebranding is the most recent example of confidential information slipping out via Twitter, the fast-growing micro-blogging site.
Nick Gillard-Byers, an attorney who is familiar with privacy issues and Twitter, said the abbreviated, informal nature of the medium makes tweets seem less significant than other forms of communication. “Many users will fire a tweet off without a second thought, and they probably won’t even remember [it] in an hour (and several more tweets) later,” he said in an email. “Writing 140 characters doesn’t carry the same feeling of consequence as a press release or even a private email.”
US congressman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) evidently didn’t think twice in February when, during a confidential visit to Iraq, he posted this tweet: “Just landed in Baghdad. I believe it may be first time I’ve had bb service in Iraq. 11 th trip here.”
Critics seized on the gaffe as a breach of security, and the slip prompted the Pentagon to review its communication policies.
Mr Gillard-Byers believes people are even more indiscreet on Twitter than they are on blogs. “Writing a blog post takes most people as long as writing a substantive email, while a tweet takes under a minute,” he said. “The same way people let things slip in a casual conversation that they’d never say in front of a microphone, the casual feel of Twitter can lull a user into shooting off whatever pops into their head without the usual common-sense filter.”
Another US congressman, Jeff Flake (R-AZ) demonstrated a lack of common sense and discretion in January, when, during supposedly closed-door meetings with President Obama, he tweeted snarky observations such as: “President Obama is speaking to House Republicans right now on Democratic stimulus bill. Good salesman, bad product.”
As the general public becomes more familiar with Twitter, Mr Gillard-Byers believes users will exhibit better judgment when tweeting. “These are, hopefully, momentary lapses,” he said, taking the long view. “Twitter has been around for years, but only recently has it become the tool-de-jour for people in the public eye. Along the way we’ll see the inevitable story of losing a job because of Twitter, a marriage broken up over Twitter, probably a tear-jerking tale of a family being reunited by Twitter, and then something new will be on the scene.”
